A Formidable Foe
by Gakuenchou1
Summary: On a late night at work, Lin gets a disturbing phone call.
1. Chapter 1 - When Things Get Rough

Again, it had been a late night. Lin despised working midnights with a passion, but whenever an employee had called off sick, she wouldn't mind covering, or at least she tried not to show that it bothered her. It was extra money in her pockets - - extra money that needed to be saved up. Now, any sort of extra cash that was handed to her, she was saving for a very special occasion. Lin had recently been in an engagement, something she had planned out for a while for a special waterbender, but it had to be kept secret for she knew her mother would go apeshit.

She felt guilty though, leaving the one she loved at home to sleep in an empty bed without her there. Shit had to be done though, regardless of how painful it was going to be. She was nearing her fourth cup of coffee when the phone rang. "Republic City Police, Lin speaking." Silence. Not a word was spoken, or even a cough. There was nothing but static on the other line. Confused, Lin only suspected that it had been a dropped call or some foolish youngster trying to pull a joke. She had those calls sometimes, but it was weird when it happened for the second time. Lin picked it up a bit more aggressively. "Hello!?" Again there was no answer.

Slamming the phone back down on the receiver, Lin was beginning to feel irritated. She picked up her mug and took a long gulp of black liquid before she continued on going through police reports that were supposed to have been done a few days ago. As she began flipping through pages and mumbling obscenities to herself, the phone rang for a THIRD time. "For fuck sake!" Lin called out with irritation in her tone and grabbed the phone again. "Who is this!? You better say something now buddy, or I'll have this call traced! You're messing with the wrong cop. I'm the daughter of Chief Toph Beifong."

There was suddenly heavy breathing on the other end, as if whoever it was had ran a mile around the block before picking up the phone to play this little game of tag that Lin had enough of. Lin paused, feeling her heart tighten. It was driving her mad not knowing who the other individual (if there had been more than one) on the other side. When the breathing stopped, nothing but dead silence filled the void. Lin was certain the other person had hung up again, but then a female scream had bellowed out, calling out Lin's name. "Kya!? KYA!" Lin shouted, bolting up to her feet, knocking over her coffee on her paper in the process.

That didn't matter anymore. She knew that scream. Why else would anyone call at this ungodly hour just to pester Lin? Kya was in trouble. Someone had her, but why? Was it to gain leverage for some reason? Blackmail? Or were these people just plain lunatics that had a sociopath's tick? Whoever they were, they were going to be dead by Lin's hands if she ever caught them. "Lin, help me!" She could hear Kya. What kind of a sick joke is this? When the heavy breathing came back on the phone, she could hear a deep manly voice, but Lin wasn't for sure if it was really a man. They could be disguising it for all she knew.

"Lin Beifong," said the voice. "Do you love your precious waterbender girl? It's sickening that you poison my city with your smutty lifestyle." Smutty lifestyle? Was he or she referring to her romantic relationship with Kya, the Avatar's daughter? Lin squeezed the bottom of the phone tightly in her hands. It was a hate crime! What in the hell was she supposed to do now? Her mother had no idea about their relationship and she wasn't about to go to alert Katara and Aang. For one, there was no time for that and two, they'd probably grow made with rage finding out that Lin got their daughter in this mess. "For the love of Spirits, I swear if you harm one hair on her head, I'll find you and hang you from the top of Future Industries Tower myself!" The person on the other line began to chuckle menacingly and this terrified Lin straight to her core.

"The only thing you'll be hanging up Officer Beifong, is your badge when Avatar Aang finds out what has happened to his beloved daughter, and you're the cause of it."

"Why…?" asked Lin desperately.

"To ensure our survival."

"Our?"

"The people of Republic City, of course. Can't go tramping around with women, Lin. It wouldn't look good on your record if someone happened to find out the truth."

"I don't care about my record," said Lin fiercely. "Tell me what to do in order get her back safely. Is it money you want? Is it power? Is it control?"

"No, no, no. It's none of those things," said the voice nonchalantly. "I just want to test you, to see if you really have what it takes to protect the one you love. You follow a few simple instructions for me, then you'll be free to have your precious little waterbender."

Lin was confused. She has had strange calls in the past, but this had been the icing on the cake for her, especially since someone's life she loved and cared about so deeply was on the line. "What're your demands?" Lin asked hesitantly as she leaned over her desk, closing her eyes. All she thought about was Kya. She would do anything in the world for her. If this person wanted proof that Lin was serious, she wasn't about to back down. "At the Central City Station, lies a hidden box within the statue with two items inside. You're to choose one to carry out with the note attached. it will explain further of what you have to do. Have fun."

As she was taking mental notes, Lin kept her eyes on the timeclock near the door. It was 1:30am The police detective made sure to listen carefully at the background noise, hoping that this lunatic would give their position away, but there was nothing but silence other than Kya's deafening cries in the background. Lin's heart sunk even lower as she unknowingly curled a police report up in her hand, allowing the tension run through her fingers. She was not only worried for Kya, but she was also furious. This was like an invasion of privacy! Whoever it was had to have been watching their moves for the past week so they could jump at the chance to do this sort of crazy scheme.

The metalbender was anxious now. With a click, she heard nothing but a dial tone and knew she was running out of time. "What do I do? What do I do?" There was no clues from the receiving end on the phone. Nothing to tell Lin where this person was holding Kya. She was frantic, feeling her heart bounce around erratically. She reached for the phone quickly again, but then she stopped herself from going along with it. "I can't get mom involved," she said to herself., thinking logically "I have to do this on my own. It's probably part of the rules anyway. Goddammit!"

Quickly, Lin turned off the coffee pot on the desk nearest hers and began to ready herself. She threw the metal armor on that was hanging on the back of her chair and made sure each of her metal cables were in working order. She slung her arm out, and a cable shot from her wrist as if the cables themselves were apart of her naturally. A crash was made when the cable made impact with one of the windows and she winced. "I guess that's coming out of my paycheck. Doesn't matter, though. Time to get going before daylight comes."


	2. Chapter 2 - Tough Choices

It was 2:30am by the time Lin arrived in front of the statue at Central City Station. Cautiously, the policewoman stepped out of the Satombolie, keeping her guard up in case she had caught something mischievous going on out of the corner of her eye. Even though it had been quiet except for a steam locomotive pulling from the station itself. The whistle blew and she could see a puff of white steam lifting into the air. There wasn't many people around as she surveyed the area carefully. "He said there were items in Lord Zuko's statue," mumbled Lin as she searched desperately to find whatever treasure was hidden.

It took about twenty minutes before she spotted something peculiar jutting out from the statue's foundation. It was a loose brick on the lower right hand corner that was being concealed by some of the plant life that was planted here years ago to give the place a little color. Brushing a few leafy branches out of the way, Lin placed her fingers around the loose brick and yanked hard, watching it come loose and bites of the brick crumbling at her fingertips. Lin peered into the darkness of the small little opening, afraid for what might actually by lying in there. You're a cop, Lin. You've got this.

One thing that they didn't train you at her mother's metalbending academy was how to deal with lunatics like this. Lin would have done anything this man had said in order to get Kya back safely and out of harms way, providing Kya doesn't get hurt in the process. She would do anything, even lay down her own life in order to know for certain Kya will be safe. Lin's mind was a one-way track, kind of like those trains inside the station. She would think about one thing, and she will continuously try to achieve that goal no matter what stands in her way and her current goal right now is to see that Kya is rescued.

Reaching into the gaping hole in the foundation, Lin closed her eyes and felt around for something. Her fingers grazed against a lid of a metal box and she immediately pulled it out, looking down at it curiously as she did so. It was of some weird makeshift design that Lin realized that can only be opened if she metalbended it. It looked like this box was specifically designed for a metalbender. This was Lin's first clue. There was a lock combination dial on the side and a couple levers in the front as well as door slides on the top and sides of the metal box. "What the fuck is this shit?" To Lin, it reminded her of one of those old Chinese puzzle boxes.

Flustered, Lin sat down in the patch of grass and leaned back against Zuko's statue. She had this gut feeling she was never going to free Kya from the clutches of this demented lunatic in time. Looking down at the box again, Lin took a deep breath and slid a hand gently around the box, fiddling with the combination as she did so. It was just as she suspected, though. As she moved her hands around, the metal slides began to cooperate with her metalbending. Lin raised a curious eyebrow and after fifteen painstakingly long minutes, she managed to uncover the right manipulation of the slides to allow the combination code that she found inscribed on the bottom of the box to unlock!

"Fuck yeah," exclaimed Lin excitedly when listened for the gears twist and turn and unlatch every lock before she could open it up. She paused first. Inhaling deeply, Lin realized this could be a life or death situation and whatever's in this box could determine that a lot quicker than usual. Analyzing situations and people was one of Lin's most greatest talents. She could tell if someone was lying and she knew had this internal instinct when something wasn't right. With those two qualities and an ambitious trait to get the job done right is what made her a damn fine cop. It was just a shame her mother couldn't see that. "I'll prove you wrong," mumbled Lin as she opened the lid and peered down to not only two, but three items inside with notes.

The first item looked normal. It was kitchen knife that could filet the toughest meat. She picked the knife up and held the hilt in her hand, glancing at her watery reflection in the blade. It was sharp and she had no idea what she was supposed to do with this yet. It scared her to think what it was. Lin looked back down in the box and saw something a little bit more peculiar this time. It was some sort of herb in a ziplock bag. She opened it, figuring it was some type of tea that should be brewed. She placed her nose down in the bag and gave it a whiff, but there strangely was no aroma.

With these two items now in her possession, Lin was even more confused. That's when she picked up the folded pieces of paper laying on the bottom and read them carefully for the instructions._ This guy really liked fucking with me,_ thought Lin angrily. She now had riddles to solve as her own instructions. If she had gotten the answers wrong, then she wouldn't know what to do.. Her eyes scanned the first note that was attached to the knife and it read:

"**Listen to me now, and you listen well**

**I have a riddle for you can't you tell?**

**If you fancy your fingers, don't think twice**

**Just take the herb or you might lose your life."**

Lin's eyes widened in shock. She glanced to the baggie filled with the strange unscented herb and realized it had to have been some sort of poisonous plant grinded up. Was she supposed to drink this? If that was the case, what was the knife for? Lin looked from the herb to the knife realizing that it wasn't sinking in with her on what she had to do. Lin's heart began to race, feeling the adrenalin pump madly throughout her body. She swallowed and looked to the third item in her box. It was a recorder of some kind. The freaky thing about it was that it had crimson colored words "For Lin" written in what Lin hoped wasn't blood.

"Fuck this guy," shouted Lin. Now things were just getting a tad bit ridiculous for Lin. This guy was playing her as a fool and she knew he was watching somewhere, enjoying the show from a distance. Lin pressed play and listened to what was on it. It was silent for a moment until she surprisingly heard Kya's voice. _"Lin,"_ she said. Kya sounded weak and terrified. She supposed this had been the only chance this madman was going to give Kya to say her final goodbyes. Lin wasn't about to let this happen. Her hand tightened around the recorder as she listened and she placed her head in her hands, trying to compose herself as she tried to listen to the fearful and helpless tone in Kya's voice.

"_Lin, please…. I love you. I always will. I don't know how it came to this point. I was wanting to grow old with you, Lin. Start a family. I should have told you sooner how I felt, even before you asked me to marry you. It was shocking coming from you because I didn't know how you felt about relationships in general. I never once wanted to give up on us, though."_ Lin could hear the sound of Kya beginning to cry again. It was that awful, agonizing wailing cry that irritates the living hell out of the man that had her captive. Lin could hear the man say something to Kya that was insulting.

"_You water tribe peasant trash! Quit that shit. I gave you a chance to say your goodbyes, not annoy me to death with your loud mouth ass! I can't believe you're the Avatar's daughter. It just pisses me off._"

Lin listened in further, fast forwarding the tape, hearing Kya scream at one point because the man got a little rough with her. Lin shook her head, composing herself once more as she tried to figure out where the two were when the tap was being recorded. She listened for background noises again, and heard some strange metallic clicking in the background. It sounded strangely familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place her finger just yet on what it had been. It was an amazing clue for her, though. This had given her a bit of hope, but hearing Kya's sweet voice in the form of a whimper really ran through her like fire.

There was no doubt about it. When Lin was done with this man, they were going to have to pry her hands from his cold, rotting neck before she was finished with him. Her mind focused back onto the two strange items that were placed in her lap. _A knife and a bag of poisonous herbs? _The combination was just strange to say the least. There were two people she knew of that knew the answer to this bizarre riddle that had to deal with herbs and blades: Fire Lord Zuko and his Uncle Iroh. She was going to have to recruit their help in order to solve this dilemma regardless if there were any rules of others helping. She was going to have to risk it and she might get buy with it if she did this right. Fortunately, they were in Republic City attending matters on the council with Avatar Aang and Chief Sokka.

_I must go see them quickly._


	3. Chapter 3 - The Big Decision

When 3:30am rolled around, loud erratic banging could be heard throughout the vicinity of City Hall as Lin tried desperately to wake a sleeping Lord and his uncle who decided to make their quarters there for the night. "What in the world?" Zuko asked in question to the sounds coming from his room's door. He sat up and slipped a robe around him before he made his way over in the darkness.

He held the palm of his hand out whilst creating a ball of light so he could see and when he opened the door, he was surprised to see Toph Beifong's daughter at the door. She looked distraught, panic-stricken and looked ill to the point of wanting to throw up. "Lord Zuko!" she exclaimed as she gasped with excitement. "Lin," Zuko said in slight shock. "Why so early? Shouldn't you be with Kya?"

Lin practically bursted out into tears as she informed Zuko what had happened. She presented him with the two items and the tape recorder that was found in the metal puzzle box and Zuko had this befuddled expression. "You mean to tell me that Kya had been kidnapped? We must alert Katara and Aang now before things get too complicated." Lin forced herself inside the room and closed the door, making sure that no one from the council would eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I can't let them know," said Lin.

"She's their daughter, Lin. They deserve to know."

"No. I'm risking it just by coming to see you about it."

"What do you mean?" Zuko moved toward the table off to the side to rest his aching feet. He was starting to get too old for this, but being only in his mid-fifties, he realized that there was still a lot to accomplish before he could retire from being the Fire Lord. "This guy is testing me. You're one of the few people in this world that know about me and Kya and this guy or whoever it is, doesn't like the idea of it all. He's threatened Kya several times." She sat down across from Zuko and slid the tape recorder to him. With his arms folded across his chest, Zuko looked down at the recorder curiously before reaching to inspect it.

"I think he's hurt her, too. There was blood on the tape recorder."

"That doesn't mean it's hers," replied Zuko optimistically. "For all we know it can be frog squirrel blood. Can't go accusing just yet."

"But Lord Zuko, you can hear him on the recorder threatening her!" Irritated, Lin raised her voice a little that accidentally stirred Uncle Iroh from his deep slumber. The older man turned over in his sleep and Zuko panicked slightly. "Shhh, you'll wake uncle. He's had a long day and he needs rest." Zuko fiddled with the recorder for a moment before he went to listen to the contents of the tape. He leaned back in his chair, eyeing Lin whose face twisted into a fearful one when she heard Kya's voice again, even if she already knew what was on the tape. This was dramatically effecting Lin both physically and mentally. "Lin," said Zuko. "You need to breathe. If one thing Aang taught me is that patience it a virtue. You need to calm yourself and think through before acting on your own accord."

After Zuko brought his advice to Lin's attention, she realized had been gripping the edge of her seat with her hands and grinding her back teeth as she anxiously sat there listening to Kya's voice on the recorder over and over as Zuko played it back. He was making sure he wasn't missing anything. "What's that ticking sound in the background?" Zuko asked suddenly which caused Lin to raise her eyes to him from the table. "It sounds metallic." Nodding reverently, Lin shot a finger in the recorder's direction.

"Exactly what I thought!" Lin pondered the clues that she had been given up until now and realized that there were only going to be more given. "I was thinking if it was metallic, then maybe my mother's school might have something to do with it?" Zuko raised a dark, curious eyebrow in her direction and placed the recorder back on the table in front of her. "You might be right. "Toph's school might be a single location where our enemy is keeping Kya captive, but… there's also Future Industries. A lot of metal work goes on there, too. There's too many options at the moment to pin point one specific place."

Lin felt she like she had been defeated. There was no way she was going to be able to come up with an answer to all this puzzle nonsense in time to save Kya before something drastically happens to her. Her forehead met the table as Zuko stood from his chair, and the older man began to feel concerned for one of his best friend's daughters. "Lin," said Zuko as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her. There's still time left. We just have to figure out where he's keeping her." It was at this time Iroh had woken from his deep slumber and he glanced over at his grandson and the woman sitting at the table.

"Lin," yawned Iroh as he rubbed his eyes.

"Uncle, you should be sleeping. I have this handled." Zuko's face immediately twisted into a more professional one.

"Please, Zuko." Iroh smiled and waved his hand to dismiss his grandson's worries. Looking over, he saw Lin's forehead pressed against the table's surface, but he could hear light thuds that were instantly one after the other. "Lin, stop doing that to your forehead. You don't want to get wrinkles like me." He chuckled at his joke. Lin stopped suddenly on command and raised her eyes up to him, rubbing the redness out of her forehead. She watched as Iroh moved slowly from the bed over to the table to inspect the contents of the ziplock bag.

She watched him shake it gently and then open it to smell the grinded up something that was pricking his curiosity. "This is tea," he informed simply with a sure nod. "Not good tea I might add. It was a good thing you didn't drink this. It's from a poisonous plant." Zuko picked up the knife that was also found in the metallic box along with the riddle. "Uncle, can you understand what this madman is trying to do? He has Kya captured and we believe she's in danger." Iroh made sure to look at everything and it took him a course of thirty minutes before he could come up with something solid and plausible.

"I've got it," he said finally. Lin and Zuko both turned their attention quickly to Iroh and made sure to listen fully to what he had to say. "This man, or whoever they are, want Lin to prove that she loves Kya." Upon hearing this, Lin flung backwards in her seat, her face turned a bright shade of pink, a color she wasn't keen on wearing. "Love? Sir, that's highly mistaken. Kya and I are just friends." Iroh was grinning like the Cheshire cat as Lin tried so desperately to come with excuse after excuse.

"This person doesn't think so. Ever since you were put in charge to look after her, you began to favor her haven't you, especially after she consoled you that time after your break up with Tenzin?" Iroh was a clever man, almost too clever for his own good. Furious with Iroh's accusations about her private love life, Lin quickly spun around in her chair, placing one leg on either side and faced the wall behind her. "Doesn't matter." Lin leaned on the back of the chair and folded her arms with a sigh.

"It does. He's testing your love for her. If you want to see Kya unharmed, you must endure true pain and suffering. Love is a painful emotion, Lin, but it's also a beautiful one and all the pain and suffering in the world combined is worth this feeling of two hearts beating as one. If you don't admit that you love her, Lin, like I know you do… then there's no hope for Kya."

Lin looked over her shoulder at the older man, knowing what he was saying is true. She did love Kya with all her heart, even if it was hard for her to admit it sometimes. "Then… if I do love her, what is he wanting me to do? Choose between killing myself with the knife or poisoning myself? I don't understand it." Zuko quickly snatched the riddle from his uncle's hand and leveled with Lin on his knees. "Read this again and tell me it's not saying they either want you to cut a finger off or drink the poisonous tea." Lin blinked, feeling her heart sink to the floor. "If you drink the tea and find Kya in time, there might be a cure waiting for her, but if not… then you know."

She read the riddle over multiple times, knowing how this is going to affect her physically and emotionally. _If you fancy your fingers… don't think twice, just take the herb and you might lose your life. _If she had chosen the knife and chopped her finger off, then she could be in severe pain, and possibly suffer from lack of blood loss if it hadn't been properly cared for right then. If Lin had chosen the poison, then there was a fifty percent chance she would see Kya again and be okay in the end, but until then she was slowly begin to feel the effects of the poison coursing through her system, making her feel weak and possibly hallucinate.

"This guy is screwing with the wrong woman. I might be fucked either way, but there's no way I'm backing down without out a fight. Kya is coming home, safe and sound even if it kills me in the process," Lin shifted in her seat, turning back around with a serious look on her face, even more serious when she had been studying for classes at the metalbending academy. Lin breathed in deep and exhaled as she reached a hand over toward the knife. "I need to be right in the mind if I'm going to be facing this guy. If the poison is in my system, then I won't be able to focus on anything but that. Then this is the only choice I have." She wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the blade and tightly squeezed it, knowing what was about to come.

_I'm coming to you, Kya. Trust me._


	4. Chapter 4 - An Impossible Task

"This is it! I'm going to do it." If miracles do happen, right now would be the perfect time for one. She sighed heavily, looking down at the knife in her hand. Lord Zuko and Iroh sat by, knowing that Lin wasn't going to be mentally prepared for the pain that was about to strike her system. The worst thing that could happen was that Lin would fall victim to a state that would eventually cause her to faint wondered what the penalties were for having Zuko and Iroh as witnesses to this because she knew she wouldn't go unpunished for not doing this by herself.

The policewoman stood to her feet, exhaling several short breaths to prepare herself for the pain that she was about to endure._ For Kya, I will chop my entire hand off_. She laid her hand flat on the table, holding a her shaky hand steady before moved in toward her digits. Lord Zuko stood his feet as well, moving over slowly to try and calm her. "You sure you want to go through with this, Lin?" Zuko asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. He knew Lin would do anything to protect Kya, and he was lucky enough to be one of the few people those two introduced their life together to and he knew that Lin was good for her, no matter how much he knew Aang would protest against it.

"Of course I'm sure. My stubbornness can be a good thing to have I suppose," she chuckled under her breath. "I'd want to suffer through anything to see if Kya is safe and no one is going to change my mind about it. I know what I have to do." Inch by inch, Lin neared the razor sharp blade to her index finger. She exhaled, when she felt the edge graze her skin, feeling the stinging sharpness of the first initial cut…._**SNAP!**_ That was the sound of a bone snapping in two and Lin hollered out in excruciating pain. She only managed half way through the tendons and muscle fibers before blood began spewing forth, covering the table in minutes.

Iroh and Zuko began to step forward, coming to her aid, but she waved her hand that was holding the bloodied knife to force them back. "No," she gasped out, practically in tears. Lin had to stay strong, she couldn't allow herself to falter just yet. "Stay," she ordered them. "I'm not finished." Again, she felt the sting of the steel hitting the inside of her finger, forcing the blade to go even deeper in her flesh until she was able to quickly her hand away, disconnecting it entirely from her second digit. On her hand and knees, Lin held her painful, self-inflicted injury up to her chest, trying to gather her wits while she gasped for any amount of air to keep herself sustained and in control of the situation. "Lin, are you okay?"

Zuko raced to Lin's side to help the woman on her feet, and Iroh began to rip the bed sheet into several pieces, making a makeshift bandage to help stop the blood flow. "You're one crazy ass woman," laughed Zuko and he caught a smirk that graced Lin's lips. "I am a Beifong. Where do you think I get it from?" Smiling, Zuko couldn't help but release a faint chuckle at the thought of Toph and how she managed to raise such a strong daughter such as Lin. "Your mother must be proud of you." Iroh walked over hastily with the sheet bandage and began to carefully wrap it around her hand until Lin felt comfortable, or at least to the point she could relax for a second.

"If mother knew I did this over love, she'd kill me."

The pain was real, and Lin gritted her teeth every time she moved accidentally. Immediately when Iroh stopped wrapping the bandage, Lin regained her composure and glanced to her the part of her body that was lying on the table. Zuko's eyes followed her stare, and he shifted back to her, wondering what was to happen next. "Well," said Zuko, "what do you think happens now?" As soon as those words left his lips, there was a faint knock on the door and all three turned their heads to it, seeing a piece of folded parchment slide up under it.

"Looks like we're about to find out."

Lin walked over cautiously, waiting to press the side of her head against the door to listen for any sound of movement on the other side. Unfortunately, there was nothing but silence. She wasn't going to barge out there without knowing for sure someone was there. Lin's eyes fell to the floor, eyeing the rolled up scroll. _Maybe it'll tell the location of Kya?_ Lin's heart jumped to her throat, beating faster than it ever has before. She unrolled it carefully, due to the lack of a finger count, it was quite difficult. It read:

_To whom it may concern,_

_Lin, you know, you're quite a strong woman. I'm sure everyone can see that by now. You've sacrificed so much, and gained so little to get where you are. The only thing in your life that's worth anything to you, is Kya. This one peasant woman from a simple water tribe. I don't understand what's so special about her, but she's told me a lot about you… about your family. She cares deeply for you, and I know you two share a connection. If you ever want to see Kya again, come alone to the Republic City harbor tonight . I mean, alone. I know you've had help in this last round, but we'll meet face to face. As long as you think love is worth it._

_Best regards,_

_The Mantis_

"At least we know the man's alias," said Lin as she handed Zuko the letter for him to read. Lin began to pace back and forth. Zuko's eyes quickly scanned the letter to be unbelievable. "How can he know you were with us?" Lin shrugged her shoulders, thinking that the only logical explanation is that he had eyes everywhere in the city, watching her every move. "I need to do this alone this time." Iroh stepped forward, bowing his head to her slightly before taking the letter from Zuko. "You're a brave woman to do this out of love. Avatar Aang would welcome you into his family open arms."

"I'm not looking for Aang's blessing," snapped Lin as she winced at the throbbing pain pouring from the knobby area on her hand where her index finger once was. "Me and Kya can't help that we love each other. He's just going to have to deal with that."

"I know," said Iroh softly. "I didn't mean anything by it Lin. I'm just saying that Aang will appreciate you, and especially Katara."

Lin huffed loudly, jerk her shoulder around as she held onto her hand against her chest. "I'm going. I'll take care of my shift today at work, and then head out to the harbor tonight. Can you two keep mother busy?" The two firebenders nodded and Lin sighed, unsure how to explain her hand to her co-workers if someone had asked. She tore the door open quickly, the sound of metal footsteps from her armor echoed down the hall. Zuko glanced to Iroh, couldn't help but feel worried for the young police woman. "Uncle, should we follow her just in case something goes wrong?"

Shaking his head, Iroh moved back over to his side of the bed, yawning and stretching as he began to get comfortable again. "No, grandson. This is something that Lin has to face on her own. Boy, this sure was an eventful morning already. Let's say we get some sleep? We'll have to come up with a few ways to keep Toph distracted and busy to notice Lin. I'm sure we won't have a problem with her, though." Zuko arched a brow, groaning at his uncle's devious plan. "You know how Toph is, though. If she finds out what Lin is up to, not only she's dead… but _**we're**_ dead men, too."


	5. Chapter 5 - Catastrophic Emotions

**I'm incredibly sorry this took forever to update, but here it is! The long anticipated chapter. I'm really happy with all the follows and faves this has gotten so far. I hope you guys like it. If you guys want to see anything happen to Kya and Lin, post in the reviews and I might consider it. I will update again around mid August after I come back from the beach.**

Happy reading! :)

**Chapter 5:** _Catastrophic Emotions_

It had been nearly impossible to keep her hand out of prying eyes as Lin worked steadily at her desk. The morning came slowly, and even if Lin had been racing against time, she had to make it seem convincing that everything was completely normal for her. In a desperate attempt to keep her hand hidden, she thought it was best to wear her police gloves. Although, these had been issued out only during the winter, it would seem a bit odd for her to be wearing them in mid summer. She laid her injured hand on her desk, trying her best to work on police reports that were handed to her just moments ago.

_So far, so good. No one seems to notice. Although, the pain in my hand is fucking killing me. I need to get it properly looked at after this is over. I don't want to lose it. _Lin's paranoid mind kept her from focusing on more important things relating to her job, but even so Kya was apart of her job as well. She was put in charge of watching her and she failed to keep the water tribe woman safe when this mad man came and swiped her from under her nose while she had been at work. Lin never bothered to move her hand all that much. She continued to hold her papers steady with her forearm, and continued to write with her other hand, even if it felt awkward.

"I thought you were a lefty," said one of her co-workers suddenly.

Jumping slightly at the voice, Lin's eyes shot up to them and knitted tightly together to form an irritated expression. "Nope. Whatever gave you that bright idea?" Lin snapped. The young cadet backed away from the more experienced policewoman and threw his hands up in mock alarm. "It's what you write with all the time during police reports and you drink your coffee with your left hand." _What was with the third degree? _Lin grunted lowly and shifted in her seat, trying to ignore the topic altogether. "Go look busy before the Chief comes and hears you yapping that jaw of yours!"

Continuing her police reports, Lin's eyes glanced at the time when the young boy walked away, carrying loads of files in his arms that pertained to the same psycho that Lin was now dealing with behind the scenes. If her mother ever found out that Kya was kidnapped and Lin was on top secret mission with her own hidden agenda then she wouldn't live to serve her city ever again. She just **had** to find some way of keeping her mother busy while she figures out how on earth she's going to deal with this guy head on.

"Chief Beifong," said a voice when several of her students stood at attention when she walked into the office. "Sit down," she spat back with a sigh. "You're not in class in anymore. You're full fledged cops. I want you all to do your best and make Republic City proud. Now, with this maniac on the loose, I'm going to need several of you to be constantly at the Avatar's residence, just to up the security for the sake of it." Toph felt the heartbeat of another young cadet behind her, the sensors in the bottoms of her soles could easily pick up on her daughter's worry. It could be the very reason why it was so hard for her children to hide things from her.

"Lin," said Toph as she nodded to her cadets and they took their leave to do their duties. Once she heard the door close to the office, she placed a stack of papers on Lin's desk and placed a hand on her hip. She had that look of disappointment on her face and Lin tried very hard avoid the stare. Even though her mother had been blind, those eyes were rather haunting to Lin. "Where were you yesterday? I needed you to have these reports finished on my desk. You just graduated from the academy a couple months ago and you're already starting to slack off." Getting drilled by her mother was the worst thing on the planet.

She wanted to impress the older woman, but to Lin, it seemed nearly impossible. "Mother," she began and was immediately shushed. "Don't refer to me as mother here at work. Chief Beifong or Chief. We went over this." The look of disdain was still evident, but Toph went on with her conversation. "Once I have security placed around Aang's home, you will no longer have to keep a watchful eye on Kya. I know you two have gotten rather close, but it's for the best that she leaves to go home back to the South Pole."

"What?" Lin suddenly looked up at her mother, confused why this information was sprung on her all of a sudden. "But mother, Kya and I… we…" Her voice trailed off, knowing it was pointless to argue with her and of course, her mother wouldn't believe their current relationship status with each other. She didn't want this to blow up in her face, so she kept quiet and let her mother finish speaking to her. "It's just not safe for Kya there. You'll be able to say your goodbyes in the next few days, but Katara really wants her daughter back home to continue her training as a healer."

Lin felt her heart beginning to shatter piece by piece. She stayed silent once her mother's lips closed tightly, realizing what she had said really affected Lin. "I'm sorry, Lin. It's for the best. You and Kya became good friends out of this ordeal and I know how hard it is to watch friends leave. She'll be safer in the South Pole." Lin could feel her good hand tighten around the corners of the desk, trying very hard not to shout back. It took everything in Lin to not lunge at her mother, spill everything what was going on between her and Kya, but she managed to control herself despite the difficulty.

"Alright," said Toph with a deep sigh, feeling relieved that the information was now out to Lin. "I would like these reports finished by the time you leave your shift this evening." Turning on her heels, Toph cracked her neck several times to release the tension in her muscles and bones. She had been working way too hard recently and deserved a vacation soon. When the door closed behind her, Lin's mouth dropped, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. _How can mother just… send Kya away like that? Of course she'll be safer at the South Pole, but… if anything she's safer in my arms. I'll find this bastard and take care of him and rescue Kya even if it kills me. _At this time, Lin took her paperwork more seriously. She needed to at least please her mother with her reports that she will eventually finish and turn in at the proper times.

-S-

When 5:00 PM rolled around, Lin was literally exhausted. She had drank several pots of coffee throughout the day, but she stuck it out like the trooper she was and made it despite the intensity she felt during her earlier conversations with her mother. As she stepped out of Toph's office with a sigh, Lin glanced down the hallway to see Zuko and Iroh prancing their way toward her. "About time you two showed up," said Lin in a harsh whisper. "You guys know what to do right? Just keep mother busy for the next day or so." Iroh nodded, looking down at the woman's hand fitting awkwardly in the winter issued police gloves.

"How's your hand?" asked Iroh, voice full of concern.

"It's fine. I'll deal with it until Kya comes home."

"Your fingers could become easily infected and spread to your hand," mused Zuko with a curious stare. "It needs to be looked at before you go. You won't be able to do any sort of physical combat if that were to arise. I mean I'm sure you could take this guy head on, but you never know." Lin sent the firebender a hard look before storming off, shoving past them with a fuming expression.

"What did I say?" Zuko looked at his uncle, befuddled.

"Nephew… you have a strange way with women. Come on now, maybe Toph would like to join us for drinks tonight." Iroh offered this idea to Zuko as a distraction for Toph and probably not a very good one considering the earthbender would most likely get a little sloshed if given enough saki.

"I have a strange way with women?" asked Zuko in disbelief. "You're asking Toph out for drinks. Now that's strange."

-S-

When night fell, Lin had already prepared herself for what was to come. As the note stated she had to meet this mysterious Mantis fellow at the docks at a specific time. She checked her watch periodically as she stood there on the pier, her eyes glued to the water out in front of her. As she stared down at her own reflection, the ripples from the incoming waves transformed the reflection in Lin's mind to Kya's. Her heart sunk even further than it was and the emotion inside swelled to the point it filled her entire chest with worry and concern.

Lin wasn't the kind of person to care so easily for another, but something about Kya was special. She didn't know what it was, but knew it definitely wasn't because she was the Avatar's daughter. Lin figured it had have been Kya's personality. When they met, she got off on the wrong foot with the feisty waterbender, calling each other names and insulting one another right and left. Deep down, Lin liked the challenge and that ignited a passionate fuse straight to Lin's heart. When it exploded, Lin realized she had feelings for her.

"Kya…" said Lin softly as she sighed helplessly, unable to do anything but wait. Impatient as she was, Lin held herself there the best she could until she heard a loud familiar scream come from behind her in the shipping yard. Immediately without second thought, Lin flung out a spool of metal cable from her uniform and pulled herself in that direction without ever putting a foot to the ground until she reached the top of several shipping containers that were stacked catty-cornered around and on each other. "Kya!" The metal cable retracted back into her suit before she caught the sight of a mysterious man that had the love of her life tied to a four-legged chair that was suspended high in the air.

It was then Lin realized that this man was a metalbender, too.


	6. Chapter 6 - Rising Tides

_**I'm certainly on a roll with this fic. I've recently got inspired thanks to a fellow reviewer and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome and how quickly I wrote it. Thank you! 3 Toph is quite vulgar in this chapter, but rather amusing if I do say so myself. What this guy did to Lin back in the day will be revealed to you all in the next chapter. It's not for the faint of heart either, so you're pre-warned.**_

_**ENJOY! :D**_

**Chapter 6 - **_Rising Tides_

"Toph, are you ready for the life-changing journey you've been wanting?"

It was around 8:30 at night when Zuko and Iroh had convinced Toph Beifong to go out with them for several drinks, courtesy of Zuko. "Life-changing? Zuko, that was years ago. I'm over that now," muttered Toph as she crossed arms over her metal plated suit. Zuko gave his uncle a smile and pushed the younger woman out in front of them as the bustling downtown of Republic City began to grow quite lively. "You're not on duty anymore. It's time to relax," said Iroh.

"Relax?" Toph stifled a few laughs as she walked alongside them, unsure really where they were taking her. Of course, she couldn't see where in the hell she was, but she could smell the distinct odor of alcohol nearby. "I smell whiskey," commented Toph as she neared a particular doorway to a bar that Zuko had been long going to on his days off and when he needed to escape his duties back home. He could remember taking Aang here a couple times for his bachelor party, which mind you, didn't end so well for Aang when Katara found him earning himself a few lap dances from the local whores.

The bar became usually quite busy around 10, so there wasn't a single soul in here except for the three of them, several ladies that serviced Zuko quite regularly and the bartender who didn't look too pleased when she saw the Chief of Republic City walking into her establishment. "Zuko," hissed the bartender and she waved the young Fire Lord over. He left Toph with Iroh, who was finding themselves a booth at the time. "Yes?" Zuko looked amused by the ginger's expression. Zuko and Amelia befriended each other one night after Zuko helped her out with a customer who wasn't satisfied with his drink orders and services.

"What is she doing here?" asked Amelia in a harsh whisper.

"She's been working hard, so I'm treating our lovely Chief to a few drinks. You better have nothing to hide tonight or she will find out," warned Zuko.

"Not fair! You should have warned me! I have a matter going on behind the back of the bar. I can't really say…" her voice trailed off as Zuko arched a curious brow.

"Explain."

"But…"

"I'm not nearly as dangerous as Toph is. I might go easy on you if you just let me know what you're hiding or planning on doing." Zuko tried backing the girl into a corner as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned over the bar counter. "In the meantime, hand me a whiskey on the rocks." He gave her a coy smile as she explained to him that she was smuggling illegal drugs and alcohol through Republic City, helping some mysterious man who is a leader of a large drug trafficking operation. "Is it the Triads?"

Shaking her head, Amelia sighed. "If you know now, I'm going to be so fucked up if he finds out that I told you of all people." Zuko felt somewhat insulted, but he decided to play around with her. "_Of all people?_ What does **that** mean?" He asked when he took his drink in his hand when she slid it to him. "Nothing. It's just you… being the Fire Lord and the Avatar's right hand. It's kind of nerve-racking to what he might try to do if his operation is compromised. He's been trying to get control of the police force, but the Beifongs are constantly in his way. Toph and her daughters."

Suddenly, the amusement in Zuko's face morphed into a complete seriousness. His face hardened and he took a long gulp of his whiskey before continuing.

"Listen to me, what does he know about the Beifongs?" If this guy is the same guy Zuko is thinking of, then they more issues on their hands and not just with trying to protect the Avatar's family. As she began to pour a few more drinks for Toph and Iroh, she explained how this man is trying to basically take control of the city before the next election to become president. "He's buying out everyone and trying to get through to the police force. Everyone in this town is corrupted the President."

"Hey! Zuko! How about those drinks eh, buddy!? I'm dying of thirst over here after you two dragged me out to this shithole of a bar! It reeks of old man BO and month old pussy!"

Wincing slightly at Toph's vulgar insults to the establishment the Fire Lord was so fond of, Zuko sighed with embarrassment. He placed a finger at the side of one of his temples. With a small nod of his head to Amelia, he placed the drinks onto a tray and slid the woman a few yuans for a tip for having to put up with the already irritated earthbender who was pounding away on the table with her fist. "I"m ready for that fucking life-changing journey you promised years ago!"

**-S-**

Lin didn't know what to do first when she saw Kya suspended in midair. This man, whoever he was, was asking for it when the metalbender got her hands around his neck. She's not going to stop either until the man had breathed his last breath. "Lin! Stay where you are! Don't come near me. It's a trap, rigged to set off if my position from here lowers! You'll have to find another way to get me down from here, or beat his ass!" A loud, menacing chuckle came from one of the shipping containers and Mantis, the man that Lin has sought so desperately to track down revealed himself to her by choice.

"Lin, so we meet again. How do you like my setup?" 

He motioned his hand toward Kya who, of course, was hoisted high in the air with several metal cables of his own design. "I swear, I'll have your head mounted on my mother's office wall if it's the last thing I do," barked Lin as she noticed several other concerns with Mantis' extremely elaborate setup to keep Kya contained and out of Lin's reach. She had a feeling there was going to be a deal made to keep Kya safe, but what that deal was initially, Lin was at a complete and total loss of. "Your mother? How is she by the way? It's been a very long time since I've last seen her."

_Wait, so this guy knows my mother? _Lin's confusion was quite evident on her face. "Please, if there's anything you want at all, I'll help you get it. I know the Avatar, just please for the love of Spirits don't hurt her. Let her go. She has nothing to do with this." Over and over Lin pleaded to the man who she has apparently befriended the young metalbender once before, although Lin couldn't recognize his voice. _There's something about him I can't place, but I have no idea.. it's the way he walks._ "I can't believe that of all people, you forgotten me."

He sighed, tut-tutting at Lin's shocked expression. "Fine. Since you can't remember me, I shall jog your memory a little." He stepped forward, hands casually clasped behind his back as he cleared his throat to drag out a long forgotten memory. It actually had been a memory that Lin tried to keep at bay and succeeded until it was forced to surface. She had thought it was going to be lost forever, but even so… she wasn't going to complain. "It was a fine summer evening when you and I met in Zaofu. Your kind mother introduced me to you right after she was represented an award for her courage and duty for helping with a large group of bandits who tried to take over. You and I became really close."

Lin's hardened facial features tightened up even more at the memory that was becoming clearer to her. Her heart sped up and she could feel herself wanting to turn and run, scared out of her mind for she knew who she was dealing with now. This man, no… _**monster**_ was the last person she'd ever want to come across. "Lin! Snap out of it!" Kya noticed the fear swelling in Lin's eyes and she tried her best to get the older woman to listen to her. "You've got to focus now! Whoever the hell he is, don't listen to a word he says. You hear me, Lin!?" The policewoman never responded in way, only stared at Mantis who slowly revealed his tribal had a painted wicked smile gleaming back at her.

She remembered it now. This man was her ex fiance, Tashi. The one who held her heart for many moons before she realized that he hadn't been the one, but it wasn't her fault her feelings changed. Could anyone really blame her? She should have to feel guilty that whole time for hiding who she truly was from him, that she had feelings for another - - the Avatar's daughter of all people - - but she did. Lin could remember how much she had hurt him when he found out she had been seeing Kya behind his back because Lin knew he would crash and burn if he lost Lin. However, her urges became too strong to control and needed feel that woman against bare skin. Lin cared about Kya more than Tashi. She could see how much darkness had devoured him. He wasn't the rational man Lin once knew and thought to love.

_No._

The thought made her knees buckle and remembered the consequences quite clearly now that were the cause of her hidden agendas. _Not even Kya knows how much he had hurt me. _Lin tried to not think so much back to those horrific nights, but her emotions were running rampant. With a soft sob, she crashed her watery eyelids to her cheekbones. _He should have moved on and respected my choice. But no, he had to act on his temptations and hurt me __**so**__ much more than I ever did him. Why couldn't he have let this go!?_

When she finally forced herself to get past it and she knew she had to because of Kya, all Lin felt now was pure hatred. "What's the matter?" Tashi mocked in a softy baby voice. "There's nobody here to save you this time. Your mother doesn't even know of your whereabouts does she?" Truth be told, Lin didn't think Toph didn't know of her own whereabouts at the time either so it didn't matter really. Lin's vulnerable expression suddenly froze and every muscle in her face twisted into a deadly expression. She opened her eyes, not bothering to to wipe them dry and stood her ground, knowing what she had to do. She knew there was another way of handling this situation, but she couldn't let this guy crawl up under her skin. She needed to end him quickly.

"Your time is over, Tashi. Prepare to face the consequences of your meager past."


End file.
